Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Kate Dickerson is one of my favorite needlepoint designers. I love her Herend bunnies, her preppy pillows, her take on Pucci and of course her equestrian-inspired designs. These photos are from her Facebook page and she inspires me to find more time to stitch. Love all of this stuff.....

Monday, March 28, 2016

For all of those "Chromie Doubters" out there, the 2014 winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes pulled out his biggest win yet over the weekend, the illustrious Dubai World Cup, all $10 million dollars of it. And to make his case even more, the saddle slipped back way behind the horses girth as he ran down the stretch and he still won! Jockey Victor Espinoza (who also rode American Pharoah) managed to stay on the horse at 40 mph and still win and Chromie should have been a bucking bronco at this stage. His stud fee just went way up. He's now the all-time leading North American horse in earnings won, over $14 million to date. He's won all three of his 2016 starts. Impressive!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

We all love a good cause, don't we? What about a great cause? My fellow horse lover and Virginia resident, Jody Jaffe, has firsthand experience dealing with Type 1 Diabetes. Her son almost died from it and she has adopted the cause with the zeal that Jody typically attaches to anything she cares about. While Jody is a writer by grade, she has harnessed her energy to help raise money to find the cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Her goal: No
mother ever has to watch her child inject insulin again. Jody designed a hug-a-horse T-shirt from a collage she made. All
proceeds go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She's already
raised almost $900.

How about helping another horsey friend? You can purchase one here for $20.

And for those of you who may know Jody from her novels, she is a great writer and her books are worth reading. You may have heard of them.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

I don't usually shop at Loft but I went in a store near where I live this past weekend and was pleasantly surprised. Their prices are good and they always have a sale and their clothes fit me other than the dresses being a tad short at times. Here are some of things I saw that I loved.......

This shirt is on the web but I did not see it in the store. But isn't it cute?

I saw this cute dress which is too short for my taste (on me anyway) but is really adorable.

I didn't see this either but really like it too!

I tried this on (it's navy) and it cute. Too short for me but very nice.

This dress is so versatile....

I tried this on in black and it almost came home with me. Very very nice dress. Would be great for weddings.

Friday, March 18, 2016

When we go to Alberta, we always make a stop at our favorite gallery, Canada House, which highlights up and coming and established artists from Canada. We have a collection of Les Thomas paintings, bought over the past 15 years or so, from the gallery. With the Canadian dollar, it's a good time to buy Canadian too (you save about 30 percent). I love these paintings which are meant to be used in sets of three. The flower paintings are by artist Nixie Barton.

These are by Les Thomas, and they are about 12 by 12. I saw these in Canada. You have to see his work in person, the colors and shapes change with the light, incredible!

Good art makes a great room. And it is so enjoyable to surround yourself with creativity. Happy Friday!